Mieko Takeue

She was born in 1983 and now lives in Hiroshima City. When she was nine years old, she developed Transverse Myelitis. She is completely paralyzed from the chest down and uses a simple electric wheelchair. She is now married and is raising two children. As a mother she is also active in a group advocating more and more activity even though one may be in a wheelchair. She is the chairman of De-Aruku, a group of wheelchair users. She is a public relations magazine editor for the Hiroshima Spinal Injury Network.

When I was 9 years old, I suddenly developed a disease called Transverse Myelitis. I have had this disease for almost 30 years. At this time, I would like to write about my thoughts while looking back on how I developed the disease and what I have experienced so far.

The first symptom of this disease was back pain. When I went to the hospital, the doctors thought it was because of growing pains, so we decided to wait and see. The symptoms got worse, however, and it got to the point that even though I had to urinate, for some reason I couldn’t. One morning I woke up and opened my eyes, but my body was so weak that I could not even get up from the bed under my own power. I yelled to my mother to help me get up!

Since I was only a child at the time, I asked my mother for help without understanding what was happening to my body. We realized that whatever it was that was affecting me was not normal, so I went to the hospital immediately. We knew that this was probably something that could not be cured by modern medicine. At one point, I couldn't move, not only my legs but also my hands and neck. I was totally bedridden. After about a year of rehabilitation, I was finally discharged from the hospital.

Later in my life, I went to local schools while using a wheelchair. After graduating, I worked at the city hall as a civil servant but wound-up quitting upon getting married. Currently, while raising children as a mother of two daughters, an eighth grader, and a three-year-old, I have also set up an association with fellow wheelchair users, creating barrier-free maps, planning events, and giving lectures at local schools.

When I gave a lecture about life in a wheelchair, the children all said, "I learned that people in wheelchairs face many difficulties. I want to help people who are in trouble!" Seeing the bright smiles on the faces of these children is very rewarding.

Also, I am sometimes asked, "How do you overcome your disability?" I replied with a smile, “I have the support of many people, including home caregivers, visiting nurses, and others, so I can think about doing what I can by myself. Thanks to everyone, I am able to stay cheerful and positive.”

To tell you the truth, however, I am really a weak person. On the surface, I am always cheerful and positive, but I still sometimes wonder, why I was afflicted with such a terrible sickness as this. Why do I have to go through such pain on a daily basis? As long as I live as a human being, I will face many obstacles, and each time I am surrounded by negative emotions, I get deeply depressed.

However, recently, I've come to think that there are various experiences that have made me who I am today and who I will be in the future. And the presence of people around me is my driving force. Every time my children say, "I love you, Mom!", I naturally feel empowered. Activities with my wheelchair companions are a place where I feel belonging, and everyone is doing their best, so I'm encouraged to do my best as well. Now, I feel that I want to accept my weaknesses and cherish myself. I also feel from the bottom of my heart that I want to value the people around me even more.

I have a dream. I've always liked the radio as a means of communication, and I love hearing people's voices and opinions as well as delivering my own voice (feelings) to others. Due to the current corona crisis, there are more and more people who have fewer connections with others and feel isolated. However, I feel that if one can just turn on the radio at least that person can hear another’s voice. I believe that this is the charm of radio. I want to become a radio personality myself someday and create programs that make people want to hear my voice again. The days when I am working on various things are very fulfilling. From now on, I am going to find out just how far I can go with what I can do.